Facebook PS "medal" story update: Rautio may be sacked from party

Tommi Rautio’s statement on Facebook that he would give a medal to the Finn who shot two Moroccan workers at a pizzeria in Oulu Saturday night “because we are at war,” has become quite a sensation on the Internet but all for the wrong reasons. The Perussuomalaiset (PS) may sack Rautio for his racist comments that not only condone but encourage violence against immigrants.

Rautio is a PS city councilman of Köyliö and a member of the party’s Satakunta region board.

When the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) got in touch with Seppo Toriseva, the chairman of the PS’ Satakunta region, he claimed that he did not know about Rautio’s comments on Facebook.

“I will get in touch with him [Rautio] today,” he said. “The incident will be weighed by the [PS’] board as well as in the regional board. We will follow the legal path but it may be that there is enough in our [PS’] bylaws to sack him from the party.”

The interesting matter to watch now is how long it will take for the PS to react and what they will do to Rautio.

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Good. Glad to see that Yle have taken this up. He’s got to go. And, it has to be investigated by the police. Shocking comments, absolutely shocking. That a PS politician can possibly think that it is acceptable to say such things is mind boggling.

Mark, this is a good step in the right direction. Rautio is a regional PS “heavyweight:” city councilman and a member of the PS’ Satakunta region board. I read somewhere that he sits on a police board.

There should be an important precedent made and Rautio is an good example.